Fight for Your Family What Does Your Wall Look Like?

Fight for Your Family

What Does Your Wall Look Like?

Nehemiah had to fight to rebuild the wall

Wall building was not only architectural structure

But a defensive battle to get it done

Read again Nehemiah’s words    

After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, "Don't be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes." Nehemiah 2:14

What do those words mean to your family?

What does your wall look like?

What Does Your Wall Look Like?

Solomon built an amazing temple

for families to worship in.

The families lived around the temple and

to keep them safe was a wall around the city.

The Babylonians came and destroyed

the temple, the city and the walls.

  

Jerusalem was always about God’s

family and their worship to God.

Zerubbabel lead 42,360 people back

to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple.

 

Nehemiah saw the hope of returning

to the Lord and realized God’s family

and their worship needed protection.

Nehemiah saw the need for a wall and

rallied the families to rebuild the wall.

Let’s get practical.

Nehemiah had to fight to rebuild the wall.

Wall building was not only architectural

structure, but a defensive battle to get it done.

Read again Nehemiah’s words…

    

After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles,

 the officials and the rest of the people, "Don't be afraid of them.

Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome,

 and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters,

 your wives and your homes."

Nehemiah 2:14

What do those words mean to your family?

What does your wall look like?

Sandy and I were both raised as Christians so

we had a good foundation when we got married.

Our wall looked like this…

We were members of the local church.

We attended church Sunday mornings and night.

Went again on Wednesday nights.

We even went out on visitation on Thursday evenings.

We also served in the church.

Every night we read God’s
Word together and prayed.

We took every need to God in prayer.

We even answered the phone…

 “Christ is the answer”.

We never did anything without

the other knowing about it.

 We never left the house without a kiss.

We had Bible studies in our house.

And we took strangers in to help them find

the Lord and how to build their lives.

After almost 48 years of marriage

not much has changed.

We don’t have as many church services.

And I don’t answer the phone any more

unless I recognize the person on the caller ID.

We read God’s Word, pray and we

added communion every night together.

We can improve on the kiss every

time one of us leaves the house.

What does your structure look like?

The other question is how

are you fighting the battle?

As a family, we went to see the

movie, Jumanji The Next Level.

At one point in the movie jokes

were being made of testicles.

I heard little girls around 9 years of age

laughing hysterical and seen parents laughing.

I questioned how parents should handle the sexual

content of what otherwise was an enjoyable movie.

 

Our children get a lot of hours with

TV and social media devices.

What does your wall of defense look like?

How are you protecting your family?

Music is a wonderful thing, but the content of

so much music is an attack on Godly values.

When Nehemiah built the walls,

he also installed gates.

The families did not live in

the city behind the walls 24/7.

People with other beliefs came through the gates.

So total isolation has never been the answer.

We are in the world, but God’s Word

tells us we are not to be “of the world”.

  So how do you see yourself protecting your family?

If you are viewing life with walls

of ruin, be careful how you build.

At one point in our marriage,

 after having children…

 We got too busy to have a daily time

of reading the Bible together and prayer.

At times I was out late at church leadership meetings

and Sandy and kids were asleep when I got home.

As well as other changes in our lives,

 effected the structure of our wall.

I remember how hard it was for Sandy and I to agree

on even getting back to reading and praying together.

I was forceful about it and we did it.

But we found it was a time we brought up

each other’s faults which made it hard.

Work on the wall together with your spouse.

Remember you are not leading,

 if no one is following.

Expect resistance from within and without

 and be wise in how you handle it.

As a counselor, I have worked with many who

were facing divorce or have had a divorce.

One of the common things I hear is the

one who is served the divorce papers says…

 “We did not have a perfect marriage,

 but I did not realize it was that bad.”

Make sure you are listening to your spouse

and children, even if you do not agree.

Remember this wise saying…

“The key to communication on any level is

to view life through someone else’s eyes.”

So often the fight we fight is missing the point.

We know what we want…

But we do not listen or understand why our

view is an obstacle to the other person.

        

To move something or another person,

you must first find out where that thing

or person is at…

 Then figured out the best way to move.

 

Don’t be surprised…

 Take time to think about the wall you are building.  

Scripture Reading

Nehemiah 4:12-15 NIV

12 Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, "Wherever you turn, they will attack us."

13 Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows. 14 After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, "Don't be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes."

15 When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to his own work.